Humes for Fiends
by Heartilly Knight
Summary: SLIGHT SPOILERS. One group to kill them all, one group to protect them all. Is there a way to create the perfect Hume, Viera, or otherwise? If so, at what cost? cruddy summary, I know. M for safety.


_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XII. However I do own all my original characters. But that's all I own. I have not finished the game, though there may be some slight spoilers ahead. You've been warned.**_

**Humes for Fiends**

_Chapter One: Hora Unus_

"_This isn't freedom; this is over glorified slavery!"_

"The Red Ops…" Ashe whispered to herself, scanning the compilation of documented reports on this fiendish group, the gentle whooshing of air speeding past the Strahl comforting. "Who are they…?"

"Hey now, you're not queen just yet," Came a voice from behind: Vaan. "You don't have to eliminate every situation in Arcadia right now." He smiled, walking around to the table with the scattered papers.

"I just can't help myself; this situation has been going on since the people of Ivalice still thought I was alive. And after re-visiting Bhujerba and hearing of their latest uproars…" she shook her head. "My father spent years trying to track these maniacs down, and he never saw it through to the end."

"Yeah," he looked down at a nearby documentation, without really noticing it, "They were in Rabanstre not too long before Penelo and I joined up with Balthier." His head jerked up. "Oh yeah! Balthier says we're stopping off in Wutai. He's got a lead on a big load of treasure hidden in the Jiroku Temple." But Ashe didn't seem to care; she looked shocked at Vaan's lack of consideration at her dilemma.

Vaan tried to revoke himself. "Look, there's nothing you can do about the Red Ops. right now, so just come along with us and hopefully this'll take your mind off things." Patting her shoulder he headed for the door. "The Red Ops. aren't going anywhere, and I'm sorry if that's harsh." He exited the room leaving the use-to-be princess of Arcadia alone to dwell.

Vaan really cared for Ashe, just not for serious work like she was engrossing herself in (he knew he should have stopped her from heading to Bhujerba's Municipal Library to obtain those documents) and he was sorry for jabbing her with that last sentence, but honestly, there was nothing she could really do right now. She planned to take her throne back in the near future, and by then she would have the endless resources, not to mention her father's records, to track those murders down. Right now, it was just a waiting game, and it wasn't worth it to kill herself trying to take the long way around when she would eventually have access to the scenic route.

Ashe just needed to relax and let it go.

xxxxxxxxx

"Rule one," she whispered, towering over a nearby Urstrix on a jutting cliff. "_Peto_: seek out the enemy." Her hand gripped her sword, the Bestia. "Rule two, _Cogito_: plan the attack." She slowly removed the sword from its scabbard, positioning it just right at her side. "Rule three, _Instruo_: prepare to carry out the plan," she crouched down towards the long grass, resembling a lioness ready to strike. "Final rule, _Caedo_: kill and never look back."

Bones snapped and blood poured as the defenseless Urstrix befell its doom by Invidia's sword, flopping its tall frame down to one bird-like knee, its two-hundred pound severed wing collapsing next to it. A cry of pain was heard throughout the barren Giza Plains, and the sun shone brightly on Invidia's goggles as she drew her sword high once more to removed the beast's head. Within five minutes the killing was over and Invidia was pleased at being able to hunt her favorite game. But her outing was soon cut short by the insistent vibrating of her cell phone from the breast pocket of her hakama.

_Damn, its work. _"Yes boss?" she answered.

"Invidia, how is your hunting coming along?" asked the uninterested voice of Amor.

"It _was _going quite well…"

"I apologize for interrupting, but we have business to attend to."

Invidia sat on the dead Urstrix carcass, pushing more blood out of the opening where its head once laid. "Oh? Enlighten me."

In most organizations, the employee would be severely punished for using such sarcastic and crass speech to their boss, but both Amor and Invidia knew she was too valuable to be fired. The authority figured breathed heavy on the other side, and proceeded: "Only a little bodyguard work, that's all."

"For how long?"

"Until I give you the 'okay' to abort the mission. I am not certain how long that will be; do not even ask or begin to whine, Invidia."

"Me? Whine? Perish the thought ma'am. Who am I protecting?"

"Princess Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca."

"With all do respect, ma'am, but the princess has kicked the bucket."

"No, she hasn't," Amor filled Invidia on the details of Ashe's rebellion, her fake suicide, her plans to take back the throne, and her recent affiliation with the sky pirates Balthier and Fran.

_Looks like milady has been around. _"So where is the Strahl heading now?"

"Wutai."

"And who requested this babysitting task?"

"That is none of your concern. Will you take it? You will probably have more opportunities to hunt your game with their travels, providing you don't stray too far from the mission objective."

"All right, all right," she stood, relieving the body below her. "I'll do it. How hard could it be to track down a huge, well known airship like the Strahl. Just one more question."

"Yes?"

She smirked, "What's the pay?"


End file.
